Monday, May 11, 2009

Last woman standing

I become aware of the social networks when I began receiving emails from friends and relatives to join them. From Bebo, Friendster, Hi5, Orkut, Myspace, Facebook, etc all these messages received my polite reply declining their offers, asking them to keep in contact as always: through email, phone or mail letters (yes, I still have such friends). The trend continued as to reach the max, I think last year, I was surprised when even a ex-professor invite me!, then it receded. I suppose they got tired (*).But now everybody is in Facebook, the latest fad, I have missed some parties because I was the only one who has not see the invite in the facebook wall... and I was the only one who has not see C. wedding pictures...Some friends are leaving the country so they say this may be the best way to be in contact...So maybe is time to surrender to the digital life, I still have issues about the privacy and comercialization of these networks. I know that this is more a public exhibit and I can control how much is exposed, but I still have some anxiety about protecting my privacy.It is funny that I share the views of professor Tanaka, he must be double my age!, maybe is true what some friends tell me: that I am "old fashioned", for certain things.

* I think my resistance to "digital friendships" stem from a early experience when I asked a friend to hang out more and she replied that I should joint her virtual network so we will get to know each other better. That a person will prefer the online experience instead of the personal interaction seems totally repulsive to me. But I know these networks are not really about friendship...new brave world.